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Marching to a Democratic Hong Kong

Updated Jan. 5, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET

On New Year's day, 100,000 Hong Kong people walked peacefully through the streets of the city to demand the right to elect their chief executive in 2007, and their legislature in 2008. The demonstration showed that pressure for full democracy is continuing to build, following a demonstration of half a million people six months ago to protect civil liberties, and a grass-roots election last November in which pro-democracy candidates won a landslide victory. Indeed, there is a growing consensus across the political spectrum that debate needs to begin quickly to decide the course and timetable of political reform.